Ridership on the Sprinter rail network has consistently trailed year-ago levels since the trains returned from a 70-day mechanical shutdown this spring, according to figures from the North County Transit District.

Transit leaders took the passenger trains offline March 9 after finding accelerated brake rotor wear on all 12 vehicles. Service resumed May 18 after officials installed and tested replacement rotors. It has continued uninterrupted since.

The decline in boardings halted several years of ridership gains on the Sprinter, a $477 million public transportation investment that has yet to live up to initial ridership projections. The 22-mile link includes 15 stations from Escondido to Oceanside and runs roughly parallel to State Route 78.

In June, the Sprinter’s first month back, average weekday boardings fell by 8 percent, followed by smaller declines including November’s 2.9 percent dip, all compared with the same months a year ago.

Christian Howard listens to music while riding the Sprinter train through Vista, on his way to classes at Palomar College in San Marcos. U-T San Diego file photo by Charlie Neuman.

Christian Howard listens to music while riding the Sprinter train through Vista, on his way to classes at Palomar College in San Marcos. U-T San Diego file photo by Charlie Neuman.

The ridership drop has corresponded with the district’s higher cost per boarding to operate the Sprinter network. The district spent $4.66 per boarding in October, up from $4.08 per boarding in October 2012.

One-way Sprinter fares cost $2.

Deborah Castillo, a transit district spokeswoman, said the Sprinter ridership numbers are “not far enough behind to where it’s causing major alarms.”

Ridership “didn’t fall way behind like you might think it would when you have an event like we did,” added Ryan Bailey, the district’s finance chief.

Waiting for the Sprinter at the Escondido Transit Center this week, Ed Peek, 29, said he’s just glad to have the Sprinter back.

“It’s a good way to get around,” said Peek, a construction worker, adding that he doesn’t spend much time pondering the train’s safety, echoing comments from several other riders.

“I never felt unsafe,” he said.

After the highly-publicized Sprinter shutdown, Bailey said the transit district expected Sprinter boardings would lag behind last year’s pace for about six months. He said revenue lost due to Sprinter ridership declines would likely be made up by revenue increases tied to recent higher than expected boardings on the district’s Coaster commuter trains and its Breeze buses.

Officials said they couldn’t pinpoint how much of the Sprinter ridership drop-off is tied to the shutdown, though Castillo said it “absolutely” was one factor.

Sprinter ridership is swayed by a range of factors, from ticket prices to hours of service to the cost of gasoline. Fares and service have remained the same as before the shutdown. Gasoline prices, however, have dropped since the spring, potentially causing some riders to choose to drive rather than take the train, officials said.

To woo riders back, the transit district this summer offered two-month Sprinter passes for the price of one month. It heavily promoted the return of the Sprinter and the pass promotion on social media.

Castillo said the agency expects the Sprinter network will rebound in the New Year, adding that the agency hopes to install Wi-Fi service on the trains by summer.

Despite the lagging Sprinter numbers, Bailey said the agency remains optimistic that it will surpass its highest ever systemwide ridership totals in the current fiscal year, which ends July 1. Bus and Coaster boardings could put the district over the top, officials said.